Nothing in Common

July 1, 2020

PreS-Gr 2-In a wistful urban landscape, two children (one with blue hair, pants, and backpack; the other wearing red) quietly admire the neighbor's dog from their separate apartment windows but never speak to him, or each other. The first half of the book emanates a delicate introversion, from the downcast glances and gouache-tinged pencil-and-ink illustrations to the repeated refrain ("they had nothing in common") and the lyrical flourishes ("things they felt under the floors of their hearts"). Then the story takes a whimsical turn. The dog has gone missing, so the two children don helmets and binoculars in their designated colors and venture out into the depopulated city to search. Inevitably, they will meet on their common quest. Hoefler manages this surreal twist with the same introspective lyricism as before ("a balloon is a great moon with ropes"), the language sustaining the quiet expectation of the first half. The illustrations take on a slightly heightened shine with nightfall-stars twinkle, light radiates more distinctly, the colors begin to blend-as the children restore the balloon-dog to its lonely owner and begin their friendship. VERDICT This simultaneously hushed and fanciful version of two-loners-find-their-perfect-match offers an unusual combination of tone, content, and fancy.-Robbin E. Friedman, Chappaqua Lib., NY

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 13, 2020
She’s a girl with long straight hair; he’s a boy with a quiff. Luyken (My Heart) draws the two with simple, wistful lines. Their apartment windows face each other, but “they had nothing in common, so they never waved,” Hoefler (Rabbit and the Motorbike) explains. They’re fascinated by the same elderly neighbor and his jaunty white terrier, however: “The dog could do marvelous things. And did. Things they felt under the floors of their hearts.” One day, the old man loses his dog (“Neither had ever seen an old man cry”), and the two act on the same impulse: “They both went out with binoculars and a helmet for thinking.” Rescuing the pup reveals that they have quite a lot in common. Lilting prose by Hoefler sustains an atmosphere of poignant vulnerability. Against a backdrop of misty paint swirls, wistful vignettes in reds, whites, and blues linger on the old man’s kind face and the dog’s intrepid curiosity. The tale reads as much fanciful rom-com as children’s story, but readers young and old will understand that love is what draws people together. Ages 4–7. Agent for author and illustrator: Steven Malk, Writers House.

August 1, 2020
Two children who live separate but seemingly parallel lives reunite a lost dog with its owner and, in doing so, discover the marvelousness in each other. Two apartment buildings--one blue, one red--stand apart, a void of white in between. In each edifice, a child sits in a window. Neither acknowledges their counterpart, assuming they have nothing in common. But they both find joy in watching an old man walk his dog every day; and both feel heartache when the dog is lost; and both search for the dog, charting the same course. In finding the pup, the two find each other--kindred spirits who share more than just a view. The last spread emphasizes this connection, as the children wave to each other from their apartment-building windows, this time not over a white chasm but across a shared, star-filled sky. Luyken distinguishes the beige-complexioned children with color blocking, from one child's blue overalls and waterfall of midnight-blue tresses to the other's tuft of black-red hair and red clothes. The pale palette of assigned colors allows each character to be distinguishable even as a silhouetted shadow. Rough-textured paper is used to create additional layers. At times, both text and art feel labored in their search for whimsy; however, many readers may still delight in the connection these two apparent preteens find. A quiet adventure for youth searching for human connection and kindness. (Picture book. 6-8)

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